The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-29
Crystal Springs, the Golden City.

Mr.. n. Vandenburg has furnished the
Vicksburg Post some interesting notes
of a recent visit to Crystal Springs and
vicinity, from which we take pleasure
in extracting:
Arriving at the Golden City Crystal
Springs,) the first thing you see is the
packing-house. 1t is 100 feet long by 40
feet wide; in the center of it there are
benders, or tables eight feet wide,
twelve feet long, and three feet high,
for the boxes to rest on, so the young
ladies can assert the tomatoes and pack
them in boxes, five to the bushel, and
in small baskets, eight to the bushel.
There are about thirty-fve or forty
young ladies packing; they get 81. 50
a week. There are as many young men
as there are ladies lifting the boxes, as
the young ladies have nothing else to
do but to assert and pack the tomatoes,
and the work of packing goes on, though
it is hard, yet each one works to beat
the other, and at night, though tired
and worn out, 20 home to return in the
morning. They meet each other and
have another day of pleasure together.
Most all these tomatoes are bought bv
these Chicago men. They pay one
dollar a bushel for all the tomatoes
they can get until the lst of July. so
the growers have a sure thing There
is constant stream of wagons unload
ing all the time. There is, perhaps. not
less than $50 different parties raising
tomatoes, Strawberries, beans, carrots.
asparagus and radishes, and everything
that will pay. Everything has paid
this year that has been raised. The
country for eight miles around the CITY
is growing lots of these vegetables. and
there is a fair prospect to raise three
times as much next year Everything
IS raised on the most improved style.
ID hasten the growth and early matu-
rlty OF the crop, they use a great many
different kinds of fertilizers for their
crops, say four to six hundred pounds
per acre. Although the city has not
more than two thousand inhabitants
yet it is more lively than one of twelve
or fifteen thousand people, it goes to
show what men can do if they try.
They are far ahead of Vicksburg. The
whole nation is astonished at what thew
are doing; thousands of dollars are now
rolling back giving JOY to those that
are raising the vegetables and bring
them to the city To sell or ship them off.
l stopped at Dir. F. NJ. Brewers, three
miles out; he is very kind and has the
kindest wife in the country, and three
daughters that are not ashamed of work
and twelve or thirteen year old son.
He raises fine asparagus, strawberries.
radishes, beans, carrots and tomatoes
and he makes more money than most of
them, He drove me over most of the
country, stopping at most of the farms
to look at their municipalities and
Sunday we went south of
the city, about three or four miles. To
the big tomato farm. | found very
clever, Woodworking man and the kind |
est lady ever met. He has 60 or 20 |
acres of tomatoes growing for the |
Chicago market. All contracted for the |
entire crop; he expects to have three or /
four times as many more next year as |
they have this year. All these tomatoes
are shipped and sold for private use, not |
for canning. Tomatoes are not all these /
men raise; they are going to raise every- /
thing that will grow. Everything that |
is grown early in the vegetable line
pays well. Monday morning we left
for the eastern part of the city, to take
= birds-eye view of the crops out there.
We passed many places of fine tomatoes
and strawberries by the acre, and where
other things had been grown early in
lhe spring. At last we arrived at
ady friends house, who had moved
Town there some four years ago, bought
some land with small house on it. and
liter paying for it had nothing left, and
1ad gone out to work by the day 20 get
money to buy bread for herself aud +
hree children. Now she is doing well. I.
aising strawberries, tomatoes and other
Her daughter aud son are
low able to help her. She hopes in a
ew years to have dollars to count. Il